A deadly fungus responsible for tens of thousands of bat deaths in the eastern United States is on the move, according to recent tests that confirmed the killer's presence in Tennessee.

White-nose syndrome, which appears in hibernating bats, has been linked to a cold-loving fungus found on the wings, ears, and muzzles of infected bats. Until now, the disease has appeared only in caves along the northeastern seaboard from Vermont to Virginia (see a U.S. map).

But today the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency announced that two tricolored bats—commonly known as